The present invention relates to an adjustment mechanism for holding a fence on a machine tool table in its selected position. The fence on a machine tool table provides an abutment against which a work piece is held to properly position the work piece for machining. The present invention is particularly adapted for use on a radial arm saw table.
A radial arm saw table is generally provided with a front table securely mounted to support rails. Table spacers are mounted on the support rails so that they may slide along the rails towards or away from the front table. A fence also slides along the rails and its position can be interchanged with the table spacers. Typically, the fence and table spacers are held in position by clamps at the rear of the table which hold the table spacers and the fence securely against the front table. For a person working at the saw table to change the position of the fence, he would have to walk around the table to the rear to unclamp each of the clamps. Then, the fence can be pulled out and repositioned relative to the table spacers and the clamps can be retightened. If the operator is performing many operations on the saw table, it can be a nuisance for him to have to walk around to the back of the table each time he wants to change the position of the fence. Attempting to change the position of the fence from the front of the table by leaning over the table can be dangerous because of the saw blade and would tend to dirty the operator's clothes because of the saw dust accumulated on the table. Another problem which is encountered with having a plurality of clamps at the rear of the table is that they may cause the fence to be improperly aligned if the clamps are unevenly tightened. It is an object of the present invention to provide a saw table which overcomes these stated disadvantages.